Design and Sensitivity Analysis of Hybrid Photovoltaic-Fuel-Cell-Battery System to Supply a Small Community at Saudi NEOM City

Abstract

This research paper aimed to design and present a sensitivity analysis of a hybrid photovoltaic-fuel-cell-battery (PV/FC/B) system to supply a small community for the recently planned grand city NEOM in Saudi Arabia. The location of the city of NEOM is characterized by a high average level of solar irradiance. The average daily horizontal solar radiation is around 5.85 kWh/m2. A detailed feasibility and techno-economic evaluation of a PV/FC/B hybrid energy system were done to supply a daily load demand of 500 kWh (peak-35 kW). The PV array was the main source to meet the load demand. During the surplus periods, the battery was charged using extra energy and powered the electrolyzer for hydrogen production. The produced hydrogen was stored for later use. During the deficit periods, the FC and/or battery supported the PV array to meet the load demand. Two benchmarks, the cost of energy (COE) and net present cost (NPC), were used to identify the best size of the PV/FC/B system. Variation of the tilt angle of the PV array and the derating factor were considered to determine the effect of the performance of the PV/FC/B system’s COE and NPC. The main findings confirmed that a 200 kW PV array, 40 kW FC, 96 batteries, 50 kW converter, 110 kW electrolyzer, and 50 kg hydrogen tank was the best option to supply the load demand. The values of total NPC and COE were $500,823 and $0.126/kWh. The annual excess energy was very sensitive to the declination angle of the PV array. The minimum annual excess energy was achieved at an angle of 30 degrees. It decreased by 75.7% and by 60.6% compared to a horizontal surface and 50 degrees of declination, respectively. To prove the viability of the proposed system, a comparison with grid extension along with a diesel generation system was carried out.

The Analysis Performance of a Grid-Connected 8.2 kWp Photovoltaic System in the Patagonia Region

“…The novelty of this paper is the demonstration of the energy production potential of a small-scale grid-connected photovoltaic architecture situated in the Magallanes region of Chile, which is a totally different environment in comparison to the works presented in [24,25]. The results presented are helpful for policy makers, individuals and organisations as they give actual realistic performance characteristics and the potential of the grid-connected photovoltaic architecture in this part of the world.…”

“…A perturb and observe strategy together with the extremum seeking control was proposed in [23] to maximize the extracted power of a photovoltaic system under any level of weather fluctuations. In [24], a hybrid photovoltaic fuel-cell battery system was described, and this system supplies a small community in Saudi Arabia. The study was focused on the design and sensitivity analysis of the system.…”

Numerical Simulation of an on-Grid Natural Gas PEMFC - Solar Photovoltaic Micro CHP Unit: Analysis of the Energy, Economic and Environmental Impacts for Residential and Industrial Applications

“…Additionally, a literature review carried out by the authors showed that other variables as fast electrical and thermal transients, compressor stall / malfuntioning, cell degradation and fuel starvation remain as critical parameters for dynamic operation of physical SOFC-GT, requiring further research on this area. In addition to the reported studies, several other approaches for investigating hybrid system's operation can be found in literature with the use of HOMER [13,38,43], Aspen Plus ® [7,14,46], LabVIEW, Matlab / Simulink routines [30,32,33,37] and combination with AI (artificial intelligence) techniques [3,35].…”

Optimal Design of an Isolated Hybrid Microgrid for Enhanced Deployment of Renewable Energy Sources in Saudi Arabia

“…In addition, several algorithms are used to optimize the cost of energy, respecting the Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP) as a technical factor. In [9], the PV/FC/battery system design and a sensitivity analysis study are presented. The project is to feed a small community of the city NEOM in Saudi Arabia.…”